With Open Eyes
by crazyguitargirl
Summary: After a mysterious fantasy comes to life, Steven learns that some things don't just happen when your eyes are closed. Possibility of this becoming a full story.


"Stomping out bad guys!" Steven sang happily, accompanying himself on his ukulele. It was always satisfying to complete a mission, and that feeling of accomplishment afterwards wasn't something that the youngest Crystal Gem ever got tired of. Not that he had been allowed to come on many missions beforehand; most of the time he was happy to pick up something from the Big Donut and visit the various residents of Beach City.

The four gems walked across the boardwalk, the old planks creaking beneath them. Very few people even stopped to glance at them; the team of not-quite-humans, even in a disheveled state, was a surprisingly uninteresting sight.

"Fighting to do right!" Amethyst joined in singing along, a bit more than off key. Pearl tried not to wince (though she might have, just a little).

"We stay on the good side- the Crystal Gems!"

"Garnet, what do you think of our song?" Steven asked, looking up at the oldest of the group. "I was thinking it could be, you know, a back-up theme song, in case the other one doesn't work out."

Garnet simply nodded, patting Steven once on the shoulder. The boy grinned- he knew that this was equivalent to loud, enthusiastic applause in Garnet's book.

"Great!" Steven slung his instrument back over his shoulder, approaching the door to their house. The smaller, normal part of the massive structure was dark; today's job had lasted a lot longer than usual, and the sun had set a long while ago. He flipped up the light switch, and with a flicker, the room was filled with harsh fluorescent lights.

"I'm gonna hit the hay," Amethyst announced, stumbling over to her door. "Garbage. Whatever. G'night everyone." The door separated, turning purple at the edges, before closing back into a solid wall.

"Steven, you should go to bed, too," Pearl said on her way to her entrance.

"Aw, just one movie?" He picked up a cassette tape from a nearby table, whose cover read FIGHTER MAN II: THE FINAL BATTLE.

Garnet shook her head, and Steven's anticipating grin slipped into a frown. "Sleep, young one. You need your rest."

Reluctantly, Steven climbed the ladder up to his bed and settled in. It wasn't until he was already snoring that Garnet turned to Pearl, informing her, "I sense something big is going to happen come tomorrow morning."

Pearl stopped in her tracks, shakily turning around. "You don't mean…?"

"Maybe."

Steven tossed and turned in bed, something strange clouding up his dreams.

A thick, white fog covered a surface that looked like the beach. No boardwalk was built around it, which Steven found strange; it had been there for as long as he could remember.

Something appeared in the sand. From where Steven was standing, he could just tell that it was a gem; pinkish in color, and cut into a circular shape. Not unlike the one that he possessed.

He tried to walk towards it, but he was stuck.

Suddenly, a few small green vines sprouted from the gem. They grew taller, up to a few feet, with small pink flowers blossoming on them. Wrapped like a cocoon, for a second they stayed tight.

And then they released, Expanding, unraveling, forming some sort of pedestal. A light was shining from the center, projecting a silhouette that seemed familiar.

Then who it was dawned on him, and his eyes snapped open.

Bright sunlight was already streaming in through the house's windows, and smells of the ocean and the various boardwalk foods wafted in through the window. The digital clock across from Steven's bed read 10:32. The day had already started.

Pulling himself out of bed, Steven began to notice rushed whispers coming from the kitchen. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but he could hear Pearl and Amethyst's voices, along with an unrecognized one.

Stealthily, the boy climbed down the ladder and crawled across the floor to the kitchen. He planned to pop out from behind to counter and yell, "SURPRISE!"

But something made him slow to a halt before he reached his destination.

Steven had seen the pictures. He had heard stories. It was definitely her.

"MOM!" He yelled, rushing into Rose Quartz's arms. He could feel himself grinning wide, but crying at the same time.

He felt her arms warm around him, and her laughing while he stayed still. It was a feeling that he hadn't even been able to experience, and it was wonderful.

"Hello, Steven," she smiled, pulling away. "You've grown so much!"

"Steven," Pearl said tentatively, "We're not sure how, but Rose Quartz turned up this morning while you were asleep. We thought we'd figure things out before telling you...we didn't know how you'd react..."

"Are you kidding?" His eyes grew wide, along with a grin that he couldn't suppress. "This is the best day ever! I'll make us all breakfast, and we can figure everything out."

This is going to be so great, he thought as they set up to make a newer version of their 'together breakfast'. One more person to join them was exactly what they needed.

**Hey, this was really rushed, but I got the idea from a friend and had to scribble it out really fast (and I know this would never happen but hey, I'm hopeful). I'm thinking I'll continue it as a story, but it might take a while, because I don't really have a plan set up yet.**


End file.
